Author guide · Reporting standards · Submission readiness
Prepare a prevention manuscript for clear editorial assessment
These instructions organise the information JPMC needs to assess scope, methods, ethics, reporting, and the reliability of the conclusions.
Supported article types
Choose the closest category and keep the prevention question explicit. Word ranges apply to the main text and exclude the title page, abstract, references, tables, figure legends, and supplementary material.
| Article type | Indicative length | Core expectation |
|---|---|---|
| Original research | 3,000–6,000 words | A defined study design, transparent analysis, and a prevention-relevant outcome |
| Systematic review | 4,000–8,000 words | A registered or justified protocol, reproducible search, risk-of-bias assessment, and PRISMA reporting |
| Programme evaluation | 2,500–5,000 words | Intervention context, implementation, outcomes, limitations, and relevance beyond the immediate setting |
| Brief report | 1,500–2,500 words | A focused question and complete evidence presented concisely |
Manuscript structure
Use the structure appropriate to the design and make the population, setting, prevention mechanism, outcome, and limitations easy to locate.
- Concise title that names the study design when useful.
- All author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs where available, and corresponding-author contact.
- Contributor roles, acknowledgements, funding, funder role, and conflicts of interest.
- Confirmation that every author approved the submission and accepts accountability.
Use a structured abstract where appropriate: objective, design or methods, setting and participants, intervention or exposure, main outcome, results, and conclusions. Provide three to six precise keywords. Do not claim causality beyond the design.
- Introduction: the prevention problem, evidence gap, and study objective.
- Methods: design, setting, population, variables, intervention or exposure, outcomes, analysis, ethics, and registration.
- Results: participant flow, descriptive and primary analyses, uncertainty, missing data, and adverse or unintended outcomes where relevant.
- Discussion: interpretation, comparison, strengths, limitations, generalisability, and implications for prevention practice, policy, or research.
Include data availability, ethics approval, consent, trial or protocol registration, author contributions, funding, conflicts, acknowledgements, preprint or related-work disclosure, and substantive AI-use disclosure.
Reporting, methods, and research ethics
Editors and reviewers need enough information to evaluate validity, reproducibility, participant protection, and the limits of the conclusions.
Reporting guideline
Use the relevant EQUATOR guideline: CONSORT for trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews, CARE for case reports, or an appropriate alternative.
Ethics and consent
Name the approving body and identifier or exemption, describe consent, and obtain publication consent for identifiable information or images.
Statistics
Define outcomes, analysis populations, missing-data handling, effect estimates, uncertainty, model assumptions, multiplicity, sensitivity analyses, and software.
Data availability
State where data, code, or protocols can be accessed, or explain ethical, legal, privacy, or contractual restrictions and the controlled-access route.
Trials and protocols
Provide prospective registration when applicable, identify deviations, and distinguish pre-specified from exploratory analyses.
AI assistance
AI tools cannot be authors. Disclose substantive assistance and verify all output; do not place confidential or identifiable information into insecure tools.
Figures, tables, supplements, and references
Figures
Upload legible source files, define symbols and abbreviations, provide accessible captions, and disclose any permitted image adjustment. Obtain third-party permissions.
Tables
Use editable tables with clear denominators, units, missing values, statistical measures, and notes. Do not duplicate the same results in text, tables, and figures.
Supplementary files
Label each file, cite it in the manuscript, remove unnecessary identifiers, and explain formats or specialist software needed to use it.
References
Use Vancouver style, cite the primary and most relevant evidence, add DOI links where available, and avoid coercive, unrelated, or excessive self-citation.
Submission, revision, proofs, and post-publication duties
Submit complete files
Enter consistent metadata in ManuscriptZone and disclose preprints, related submissions, funding, conflicts, ethics, data access, and AI assistance.
Respond to revision requests
Provide a point-by-point response, identify manuscript changes, explain respectfully when a request is not followed, and update declarations where needed.
Review proofs
Check author names, affiliations, article type, tables, figures, equations, DOI, licence, funding, and data links. Proofs are for correcting production errors, not redesigning the study.
Protect the record
Notify the editorial office promptly about material errors, authorship issues, undisclosed conflicts, data concerns, or a need for correction after publication.
Use the checklist before opening the submission portal
A complete, scope-aligned manuscript can be assessed more reliably. Editorial decisions remain independent of the APC and any optional service.
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Care · ISSN 2474-3585 · Aims & Scope · Editorial Policies · APC